Overview
- The bat was discovered around 2 p.m. on Oct. 16 on the west side of the 500 block of South Main Street in Orange, according to county health officials.
- Anyone who touched the bat or saw someone handle it should call the Orange County Health Care Agency’s Communicable Disease Control Division at 714-834-8180, which operates 24 hours a day.
- Pet owners whose animals may have interacted with the bat are advised to contact their veterinarian and report animal bites to OC Animal Care at 714-935-6848.
- Rabies spreads through infected saliva, usually from bites, is nearly always fatal after symptoms begin, and preventive treatment is safe and effective when started promptly.
- Officials advise avoiding contact with wild animals, keeping pets vaccinated, securing sleeping areas with screens, and note that bat bites can go unnoticed and are the source of most recent U.S. human rabies cases; the bat’s species was not identified.